Ordnance



C. B. COX

sept; 2s, 1943.

ORDNANGE Filed NOV. 27, 1940 i lNvENToR f E'L YJ1E E1-CD BY I! 'c4 i o' J ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 28, 1,943

:UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE] f oaDNANcs l Clyde B. cox, Fort ord, Calif. i I Application November 27, 1940, Serial NorSG'MIW 1 claim. (CL sis-1) v (Grantedl underthe act of March 3, 188B, amendedrADril 30, 1928; 370 G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by-or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

'Ihis invention relates in general tu ordnance and more particularly it. has reference to a system ci, and apparatus for, defense of` highways and the like. f 1

It has heretofore kbeen proposed toempioyland mines for destroying vehicles and craft of vari.- ous kinds, barriers and other obstacles being utilized to canalize the route of passage of the vehicles and oblige them to travel over the traps. Such canalized routes aref rather obvious and easily detected by skilledftroops whilethe mine elds are subject to destruction by shells and bombs. i I

The purpose of this invention vis to provide a system` of defense which `may be quickly and readily installed along a particular pointgof the highway, without disturbing thehighway.fwhich system may be easilyconcealed, and which vmay be controlled from a remote station. While the present system bears a resemblance to thewell known trap guns which are installed to be unknowingly red by thieves or bank robbersthe differences will be apparent as the ldescription proceeds. l y

Since thehaphazard destruction of individual vehicles is ineilective in disrupting or disorganizing an attack of mechanized units the .present system is designedto destroy an entire `column methodically. The system comprises a series of weapons such as mortars or .projectors which are each loaded with a projectile and aimed to direct the projectile at a denite target and are intended to be set oi by the target at the moment the target presents itself in the line of fire. Thus, the entire column will be destroyed in an action which is so nearly simultaneous as to negative preventive measures on the part of the enemy force, yet is not subject to the haphazardness and uncertainties of a perfectly simultaneous action of multiple defense units.

The system can be rendered active or inactive at will and can be so designed as to function only on the ypassage of determined minimum masses.

It is, therefore, an objectof this invention to provide a defense system for highways or the like, which system presents hazards to an invading force but will not disrupt the highway.

It is another object of the invention to provide a defense system for highways and the like, which Fig. 2 isa section of Vthe roadway and kof the i projector in :place at the side thereof, and a front elevation of a tank .engaging the initiator tube in the roadway, and Y f Fig. 3 is a` section of thefelectrical initiating switch in elevation.

'With more partic'ularreference to the drawing, Irepresents a `highwaaty having joints I between sections. and 3, 3A 4, `5 and G'are vunits of a mechanized force representing', respectivelma reconnaissance car, an .armored passengerivehicle. a. tank, ,a field gun carriage and a wrecking car. The projector .tubes lare shown embedded in theea'rth v-beside the highway. The pneumatic 'tubes 8 forming the switch actuating units are shown :emerging from ythe road jointsand embedded in the ground. These tubes are preferably concealed inthe bituminous material in the road joint. They may consist ofrubbe tubing of the desiredstreng-th. y The ring switches are shownat A9.- Allprojectors are connectedin `parallel with the. electromotive source i0 which may be a storage :battery vand leach switch 9 .is .in series with its gun circuit. Single or intermittent surges, such as furnished by blasting machines, are not suited to the present system. The electric line enters the .projector tube and is connected to a priming charge contained with propellant II in the well-known manner. I2 is a switch, manually controlled.

The firing switch 9 is more particularly shown in Fig. 3. Diaphragm I3 is fastened between sections I4, I5 of the housing by means of rivets I6 located around the periphery of the housing. Section I4 of the housing has, punched in its center, a. hole about 1A inch in diameter. In this hole is inserted a short piece of metal tubing I1 which serves as a hose bib. One end of the tube I1 is threaded as at I8 to receive the'jam nuts I9. Gaskets 20 are placed between the jam nuts and the housing. The other end of the tubing 8 has a bulge 2l to facilitate the holding of tube B in tube I1. Section I5 of the housing has a larger hole cut in it to receive a section of insulating material N22, secured to the housing by rivets 23. The insulating material is thickened in the center, as at 24, to permit threading for the contact screw 25. 2B is a lock nut to hold screw 25 in adjustment. A thumb screw 21 forms a terminal for one of the lead wires, and may be placed anywhere in contact with the housing. The other lead wire is attached to screw 25 and held in contact by thumb screw 28.L

Inr the use of the system, the pneumatic tubes 8 are embedded in the material occupying the road section joints, and, in extension, are buried in the ground at the side thereof, together with the switches 9 and the electric leads, which will be insulated. The projectors, which may be of the well-known Livens projector type are buried in the ground together with a projectile and propellent and trained at an angle to, command a l y passing vehicle at the line of tube 8,. j `The projectile `is preferably of the trench mortar type, having a" point detonating fuse r`in the nose. The mouth of the gun will be covered with a slight layery of earth or other matter for the purpose of concealment; Since the gun'will be located in close proximity to the road, ordinary ballistic requirements are matters of small concern. By

lmeansof hand switch I2 the entire system may be made safe for the passage of friendly units., or may be armed, at will.

Switch l2 is'located at a remote control station,

and 4after a series of enemy vehicles have entered fthe armed area tothe point where the advance unit is approaching the furthest point of the installationjthe switch his thrown and the various enemy units as they depress a tube 8 and actuate diaphragm vI3 through the resulting air pressure will ybe struck by the projectile as each lunit The usual speed of such vehicles is such that they will not be able to stop in time to avoid "theflring contact afterfthe -irst guniring is heard. Thus allthe advantages cfa simultaneous assault on a plurality of units'is achieved withoutA thedisad'vantages thereof, such as missed shots. The use of the 'parallel system of wiring oii'ersaA distinct advantage over a series hookup because no shots are wasted in a, group discharge "caused by a single contact, which would probably vnot find all targets in the line of fire'.

The projectors may be located on either o1'- both "sides of the road or may be located at'strategic pointsvsuch asthe turn in the road of Fig. 1 where `the hitting 'probability of the shots is inrcreased by entllading the road along its length.

CFI

`many advantages over known systems of defense `of a similar nature.-

For instancefits use permits of the continued use of a highway by friendly units evenr after mining. The projectors are easily removed, if desired. It requires less time and labor to install the projectors than to undermine the highway. The projectors are of a type already in use in the armed services. The pneumatic tubes and tiring switches are of a type a1- ready in use for other purposes, such as, for instance, the sounding of an alarm in a gasoline station bypassage of van automobile. The contact unit pneumatic tube which is of simple and `low cost construction is capable of covering a EJO Cal

-crosses the next 4succeeding road joint in!A its jtravel.

large area of possible contact points.

Iclaim: j

A zone defense system comprising in combination, a plurality of elastic pneumatic tubes arranged across a vehicle route, a plurality of projector tubes-along said route and trained substantially in line with said pneumatic tubes, said projector tubes having electrical propellent-igni- `tion means associated therewith, parallel electric .circuits connecting said means, a ring switch for each pneumatic tube and operatively connected therewith,l said switch comprising a casing formed at least in part of conducting material and vincluding a dielectric section, a diaphragm of'vconducting'material in contact with the conducting material of the casing; a metallic contact vpoint for contact vwith said diaphragm and mounted on the dielectric section,"means for adjusting said point relative to the 'diaphragm to control the responsiveness of `the switch to different pneumatic pressures, a source of electrical current', a lead wire from said adjustable contact point to said source and one from the conducting portion of the diaphragm to to the propellentignition means, and a main switch remote from the projector tubes in said circuits, said switch arranged for closure atthe will of the operator whereby Vehicular movement over a pneumatic tube will fire its associated projector tube.

' v cLYDE B. COX. 

